Missing
by infamyss
Summary: Mikan's gone missing! Where could she be?
1. Where is Mikan?

**Chap****t****er one – Where is Mikan?**

**--**

'Ohayo,'

'Ohayo, Yuu-san,'

Hotaru looked up from her invention, a questioning look on her face. Yuu stopped in his tracks, wondering what was wrong. The girl just waved a hand at the empty seat behind her before turning back to tweaking with her invention.

The seat behind Hotaru was occupied by her best friend, Mikan Sakura. Mikan was known to be late most of the time, but not usually on Saturdays.

The teachers made up a rule that each class could only go to Central Town on one scheduled day of the week. And Saturday was Class B's scheduled day.

Yuu scratched his head; _what__ could be more important to Mikan than the once a week trip to Central Town? _

He shrugged; maybe she just forgot to set her alarm clock or something. Or maybe she was already waiting excitedly at the bus stop instead of waiting in the classroom for all the students to arrive.

Anyway, Yuu just sat in his desk, taking out the attendance list and checking off the names of those who had already arrived.

'Koko – check,

Anna – check

Nonoko – check

Hotaru – check

Ruka – check

Natsume – check

Sumire – check…'

He continued on until all the students' names were checked off the list; except Mikan's, of course. All the students assembled before making their way to the bus stop.

--

'She never arrived?'

Yuu shook his head. It was already lunch time and Mikan was still not there. Hotaru, who was worried about her, had already checked her room quickly before they boarded the bus. But there was no sign of her.

Ruka, Natsume, Hotaru, and Yuu sat at a table in the café. All of them were wondering what happened to Mikan.

'Did you check the Howalon store?'

'Yup, she wasn't there,' Hotaru said, a worried look on her face. She held a box of Howalon for Mikan. 'Don't worry,' Ruka said, trying to reassure the girl, 'I'm sure we'll find her,'

'The gardens?'

'Nope, not even under her favorite Sakura tree,' Natsume said, one of his hands balled into a fist. 'Have any of the animals seen her?' Yuu promptly asked Ruka.

'Nope.'

The four sighed together. Where could Mikan be?

Hotaru, though, was a person who would never give up. So she stood up, carrying the box of Howalon with her as she made her around town, looking for her best friend.

'Should we ask the teachers?'

'Maybe we should,' Natsume said, even though he didn't trust the teachers so much. He stood up, put his hands in his pockets and walked out of Central Town to head back to the Academy.

All Ruka and Yuu could do was wait.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait some more.

And wait even longer.

'Hello?!'

The two blondes jerked. 'Oh, what is it, Sumire?' Yuu asked. 'Something's missing, though I can't put my finger on it,' she said, rubbing her chin as if in thought.

'It's Mikan,' Ruka told her, 'Hotaru and Natsume are looking for her now, we're waiting here in case Mikan arrives,'

Sumire had a strange expression on her face. It was as if she was fighting herself wether she should do something or not. She slapped herself once, earning amused stares from the two boys.

'Fine,' she declared after ten minutes of thought, 'I'll help,' Sumire quickly activated her alice and went sniffing away. On a sniffing spree, as Mikan would have probably said.

--

For weeks, the whole of Class B searched everywhere for Mikan. The searched the kitchens, the clinics, the staff room, and even went searching around the Northern Forest.

But it was all to no avail, Mikan was nowhere to be found.

Not even the teachers knew where she was. Or, that's what they claimed, but the students couldn't trust them so much anymore.

They all searched until their legs were too tired from walking or their eyes were already drooping. The only ones who stayed up a bit longer were Hotaru, Ruka, Natsume, and Yuu.

Sometimes they would search until the early morning rays were peeping out from the clouds.

The Middle School and High School students from the S.A. group helped in the search. So did some of the Class A students who were Mikan's friends or just wanted to help.

Sometimes, Mr. Narumi and Noda-sensei would pitch in and help out too.

They all searched until they could search no more.

2 moths passed.

Most of the students quit searching already. Who, after all, could disappear for two months? Only Mikan's best friends were left searching until them, too, were too exhausted to look for her anymore.

The bitter cold of winter was already starting. No one ever searched for Mikan anymore. Yet if any one of them passed her room in the dorm, they would knock on the door, their ears pressed to it.

Yet still, there was no reply.

--

Natsume walked through the white snow, an exhausted look on his face. He was worried sick about Mikan.

He walked on and on, the white wonderland not even enticing him to make a snowball. He ignore it all, focused on walking to who knows where.

'Natsume,'

He turned to a tree on his right. Behind it stood, Persona, a smirk on face. 'What do you want?' Natsume asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

'I know where your friend is, Natsume,'

The boy's eyes widened.

'Shall I tell you?'

--

**Isa: How was it? How was it?**

**-****silence****-**

**Isa: -sigh- It's so boring without Reg here…**

**-****silence****-**

**Isa: Uh…anyways, please review.**


	2. In the darkness of night

_ 'I know where your friend is, Natsume,'_

_The boy's eyes widened._

_'Shall I tell you?'_

_--_

**Chapter two – In the darkness of night**

**--**

'Where is she?!'

Natsume was angry. He almost burned Persona with a ball of fire, but missed. 'Now, now, if you kill me, you'll never know,' Persona wagged a finger, as if it was all a game.

Natsume stopped his crazed fire-shooting. 'Where is she?!' Natsume shouted once again, a look of anger in his eyes.

'I saw her being ushered out of the academy gates two months ago,'

Natsume was confused. Why would she be asked to leave the academy?

'A black limo took her away to Osaka. The only things I overheard were something about Osaka and cameras,'

'That's it?' Natsume found the information useless. 'Well, now you know she's probably in Osaka,' Persona said quickly before walking away deeper into the woods.

'You didn't exactly tell me where she was,' Natsume muttered under his breath before running to the direction of the elementary school building. Osaka was a city, how could he find her in such a huge place?

--

'Osaka and Camera?'

'Yup, that's all Persona heard the people ushering her out say,'

Natsume was seated at his desk in the classroom, Ruka and the others gathered around. 'It was pretty useless to get that information I guess,' He leaned back, not satisfied enough.

'She went to Osaka to buy a camera?' Anna suggested, tapping her fingers on the desk, 'But then again, they wouldn't let any of us out just to buy a camera; there are already cameras in Central Town,'

'Her grandpa was in Osaka and asked her to bring a camera?' Yuu said, 'Or there's a camera in Osaka that she has to…uh…fix?'

'She couldn't fix anything to save her life,' Natsume pointed out, reminding everyone of the time when Mikan was trying to fix her alarm clock. It ended up exploding. Who knows why?

'A camera in Osaka told her to go there and buy it?'

Everyone sweatdropped, turning their stares at Koko, as he rubbed the back of his head, laughing nervously as if everyone would kick him out of the room then and there.

After rolling their eyes, everyone concentrated once more to find a valid reason for Mikan to leave, and for the academy to let her.

'What if…,'

'Huh?' Hotaru was staring out the window, as if in a dreamy state. Her eyes were focused on nothing but the bright rays of the sun. Everyone looked at her confusedly, waiting for her to continue her suggestion.

'What if we go out and find her?'

Murmurs spread throughout the room.

Some were afraid of the idea.

Others were willing to carry it out.

'But we can't all go,' Hotaru continued, eyes still focused on the light, 'Maybe two or three of us, or the academy would get too suspicious,' She blinked twice, before coming out of the dreamy state and focusing once more on the half-finished invention lying on her desk.

--

'Good luck,'

Anna handed over a bunch of packed lunches to the group who were going out. The three who were picked to go out were Natsume, Hotaru, and Yuu. Ruka wasn't picked because he was doing a play with some of the other somatic ability types and would be noticed if he was missing.

Luckily, Persona was in on it too, so Natsume could leave without anyone noticing. Hotaru placed the packed lunches into her backpack before waving goodbye to everyone. The group ran into the Northern forest, leaving all their classmates behind.

Making their way quickly through the forest, the three passed Mr. Bear's house as quietly as they could to avoid any commotion. They didn't speak for the whole time that they ran through the forest until they got to the middle.

'What now?' Natsume asked, leaning on a nearby tree.

'We have to follow the smallest path here and get to the perimeter wall, from there, I can make a hole big enough for us to crawl out through,' Hotaru explained, taking out a drill from her pocket.

Yuu and Natsume nodded.

Shining her flashlight on the many paths from where they were, Hotaru found the smallest one and quickly started towards it, the two boys following behind her.

The passed a couple of birch trees before they ended up in front a tunnel, 'I didn't know there was a tunnel here,' Yuu said, as they all entered.

'Be careful,' Hotaru whispered, pointing at a couple of stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Natsume ducked his head, passing beneath it, still following Hotaru's lead. This is how they were the whole time.

For what seemed like hours, the group stopped in their tracks and all sat on the cold, rock floor. They didn't seem to be getting anywhere; they couldn't even find the exit.

In short, they were lost.

Hotaru's flashlight flickered a bit before turning off completely. She whacked a bit on the floor, over and over again until it finally turned on.

'At this rate, we'll run out of battery before we get out,' she declared, making the brightness of the flashlight a bit lower. Yuu shivered at the thought.

Trapped in a cave in complete darkness.

That would be the worst thing ever.

--

**Isa: I know, it's a pretty short chapter…but anyways, please rate and review! Thanks to all those who reviewed chappie one! I love you all!!! Hehehehe…**


	3. Strange sounds

_Trapped in a cave in complete darkness._

_That would be the worst thing ever._

_--_

**Chapter three – Strange sounds**

**--**

_Yuu's__ POV_

I open my eyes, rubbing them to get rid of sleep. Sitting up, I look around the area I'm in.

Description:

-It's rocky

-The floor is cold

-There is little light coming in from a hole in the ceiling

-And….I'M IN A CAVE?!?!?!?!?!

I jump up, a squeal escaping my mouth. Oh yeah.

I'm stuck in a cave with Natsume and Hotaru. Stuck. Lost. With only a few packed lunches from Anna.

How nice…NOT.

_--_

_Normal POV_

Yuu looked around, spotting Natsume leaning on a stalagmite, his cap covering his face. He was still asleep. But now, where was Hotaru?

_Oh, great, _he said to himself, _are there two people lost now?_

Putting on his glasses, he walked around a bit, looking for Hotaru. Turning a corner, he spots her behind a very large rock, hands over her ears. She was curled up in a ball, laying down on the floor, her eyes shut tightly.

'Hotaru-san, Hotaru-san,' Yuu shouted, panicking. He shook Hotaru a bit until her eyes opened.

'What's wrong?'

'I-I heard s-something…from o-over th-there…' She said, stuttering, pointing a shaky finger at the darker end of the cave. Yuu was a bit shocked that she actually scared of something, but quickly shook it off and led Hotaru back to the 'camp site'.

The moment she got there, she lsat on the floor, leaning on a stalagmite, closed her eyes, and fell asleep. Yuu just sat there for a moment, looking at the dark end of the cave.

He woke Natsume up and told him what had happened to Hotaru.

'And I'm supposed to check it out?' Natsume said, placing his cap back on his head. Yuu nodded and watched as Natsume stood up and took out a rope from his bag, 'Hold this end, it's not good to get lost any more than we already are,'

So Natsume made his way to the darker end of the cave, his end of the rope tied to his belt. Yuu just sat there, holding tightly to his end, waiting.

Since he got so bored waiting for long, he decided to just think of words in his head to amuse himself for a while.

_Moo, oink, __koo__, doo, nut, __enk__, stunk, __runk__, punk, __lunk__, lump, stump, meow, __arf__, hiss, barf, fart, cart, art, start, anagram, moose, __ostritch__, elephant, arm, leg, nose, mouth, ears, tongue, hair, eyes, eyeglasses, spyglasses, __ryeglasses__…_

_And the words got sillier…_

_…__smye__crie__, lye, __mye__shye__, pie, sigh, roof, woof, __arf__, bark, meow, __ow__roaw__, cow, bleat, sheep, __eee__ooo__, doo, __aaa__caaa__shaaa__raaa__baaa__laa__…_

That's when he heard it. Yuu snapped out of his reverie the moment it sounded.

_GRUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOO…_

He hugged his knees, closing his eyes in fright. He brought his hands up to his ears, still holding the rope. But sadly, he could not drown out the sound.

_FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…_

_I WAAAAAAAAAAAA…._

_WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…._

_GRUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOO….._

Then he was touched on the shoulder by a hand.

**KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!**

He shot up in the air like a missile, screaming his head off in fright. But when he turned his head to look, it was only Natsume.

'O-oh…h-h-hi N-N-N-Nats-s-sum-me….'

Natsume was pale; his eyes were wide with fright. Yes, the famous Natsume Hyuuga was scared. He quickly sat down on the floor, hugging his knees.

'S-so h-h-h-h-h-how w-w-as it-t-t…?' Yuu stuttered, still frightened. Natsume looked at him with wide open eyes, looking even paler.

'Something touched my shoulder, it was grimy, and it smelled…and then…it made that scary noise…so I…ran,' Natsume managed to say, his voice only a bit above a whisper.

_Great, _Yuu thought to himself, _not we're stuck in a dark cave with a grimy, smelly, monster, this couldn't get any worse, could it?_

Au contraire, Yuu-kun, but it can and it will get worse.

--

**Isa: Rate and review, please! Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews for chappie two…-hugs all reviewers-**** And sorry for Natsume and Hotaru's OC-****ness****…I just wanted it like that…ahehehehehe…two chapters in one day...whoot!**

**  
**


	4. Is this the end?

_Great, __Yuu thought to himself, __not we're stuck in a dark cave with a grimy, smelly, monster, this couldn't get any worse, could it?_

_Au contraire, Yuu-kun, but it can and it will get worse._

_--_

**Chapter four – Is this the end?**

**--**

Hotaru was shocked when she opened her eyes after a refreshing nap. She couldn't believe it. In front of her was the black cat, Natsume Hyuuga, hugging his knees in fright? Hotaru had to slap herself to accept the fact it was true.

She regretted not bringing her camera at that moment. She would've been rich if she were to sell pictures of a scared Natsume. But what could he be scared about?

_GUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOO…_

_Oh yeah,_ Hotaru told herself, making a mental note, _we're in a cave with a monster, oh joy._

'O-o-oh, H-h-h-h-otaru-c-c-c-han! Y-y-y-y-ou're aw-w-w-ake!' Yuu shouted, stammering. Cold sweat was running down his face from fright.

'Stop your stuttering,' Hotaru ordered him, trying not to show them that she was afraid. Natsume let go of his knees and regained composure. He would _NOT_, correction, _NEVER_ show fear in front of the heartless Imai-san. That would ruin his reputation.

'So Imai,' Natsume said in his normal voice, 'what do you think is making that sound?'

'I don't know, so let's find out,' she declared, pulling Yuu up and grabbing the rope he was holding. She quickly piled all their bags in one spot and tied one end of the rope to a stalagmite, making sure it was secured.

'Uh, Hotaru-chan,' Yuu said, still shaking with fright, 'We haven't eaten yet today,'

Yuu wasn't really hungry, but he was trying to delay their excavation into the dark with the chance of meeting up with a grimy, smelly monster. None of them were hungry since they had a good-luck party held before they left, and they all ate their fill.

'Well, I'm not hungry, so let's go,' Hotaru said, tying one end of the rope to her wrist before grabbing the two boys and dragging them with her.

Natsume created a flame in his hand to light their way as they entered the dark end of the cave. She walked briskly, making sure that the two boys were next to her. Yes, she was scared, but she had lots of practice not showing it.

They kept walking on and on and on. Yuu gulped every few times, tears forming in his eyes. In a while, Hotaru felt a wet drop fall on her hand. She stopped walking.

'No crying,' She commanded before dragging the two boys onwards to face the evil, smelly, grimy, icky, yucky, sticky, sweaty, diabolical…and some other adjectives…monster.

Natsume was sweating. And not just normal sweating, he was sweating like a pig. _Unbelievable,_ Hotaru told herself, rolling her eyes. On the right, it was raining tears, on the left; it was water-falling sweat.

She dragged the two onwards, kicking one of them in the shin sometimes to stop their waterworks. Yet, Hotaru herself was walking with her eyes closed. She wouldn't want to see anything scary. She may not ever be able to sleep again.

_GRUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOO…_

So much for composure. Hotaru shrieked and hugged Yuu in fright, Natsume forced himself to stifle a laugh. This was something you wouldn't see everyday. It was priceless.

Yuu had already turned a very deep shade of red before Hotaru let go of him and grabbed their hands again, pulling the two onwards into the dark.

All of a sudden, the group bumped into something. Then it started to smell really bad.

_Oh no, _Hotaru thought to herself, _I don't want to die yet! I'm too young! This can't be the end! I don't want it to end. I know I've been bad a couple of times, but pleeeeeeeeaaase spare me, oh kamisama!!_

Yuu was shaking in fright. He was shaking so much, that you could hear him shaking. And his tears were flying everywhere like a sprinkler system.

Natsume in the meantime, was still sweating, and in addition, his teeth were chattering.

So as Hotaru silently prayed, there was a chorus going on both her sides. Along with some beautiful water system installments that you can buy at any department store.

Letting go of the two boys, Hotaru jumped behind Yuu and pushed him forward, 'Eat him first,' she said, panicking, 'he tastes better,'

Yuu's eyes widened. Now she's sacrificing him?!?!?!

Just then, Natsume jumped behind him and pushed him even more forward. 'Yeah,' Natsume chattered, sweat still cascading down, 'he's a gourmet meal all rolled into one,'

Now they're BOTH sacrificing him?!?!?!?!?!?!

'Yuu!' Hotaru hissed in his ear, 'make an illusion of something!'

Yuu stared forward. What illusion would he make?

He could smell the ickyness of the monster before him. Oh gosh.

Is this the end?

--

**Isa: Yes, it's the end of the chappie! Thanks again, to all you wonderful reviewers! I love you all!!!**


	5. Pure nonsense

_'Yuu!'__ Hotaru hissed in his ear, 'make an illusion of something!'_

_Yuu stared forward. What illusion would he make?_

_He could smell the ickyness of the monster before him. Oh gosh._

_Is this the end?_

_--_

**Chapter five – ****Pure ****nonesense**

**--**

'Is this the end?'

'Shut up, Yuu!' Hotaru whispered sharply, both her and Natsume pushing him forward even more. At that moment, Natsume felt something wet at his feet. He looked down to see that it was ankle-deep in water.

_Could it be my sweating or his crying? _Natsume pondered which is very unlike him.

Yuu was still operating as a sprinkler system, water all over the walls now. He could feel the monster in front of him. So he shook even more.

_GRUOOOOOOOOOO…._

'YUU!' Hotaru screamed, signaling Yuu to make a illusion. He clasped his hands together, quietly whispering _genkaku. _A flash of light appeared in front of the group…and then.

'A HOWALON?!?!?!'

Natsume and Hotaru were mentally screaming, begging that they wouldn't die. How was a Howalon gonna work on a monster? They wanted to punch Yuu in the face at that moment. If only he would stop shaking so much that they would be able to aim properly.

Yuu shook so much all they could see of him was a yellow, black, and red blur (he was wearing the uniform). They didn't even know if their hands were still on his back. As a matter of fact, because of the speed of his shaking, he was acting as an electric fan.

'This is ridiculous,' Natsume said, eye twitching as a huge gust of wind blew all his wet hair off his face.

'I didn't know this was possible,' Hotaru agreed, feeling herself being pushed back by the air.

But then-

**KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! I love you Howalon!!**

Yuu stopped shaking, eyes wide. Hotaru stood still, staring at the thing behind the illusion. Natsume stared, making the fire in his hand glow even brighter.

Through the illusion jumped a mud-stained, moss-covered…dun du du dun….Mikan!

'What in the name of the giant piyo is going on??!?!?!?!?!' the three chorused as a surprised Mikan stood up straight in front of them, her hair formed in a afro.

'Oh, hi everyone, I guess I'm saved,' she said waving her mud and moss covered grimy hand. Her clothes were covered in mud and moss too, and her backpack was ripped in half, the other half dangling for its life.

Silence.

'Guys? You okay? Hello?' She waved her hands in front of their eyes, completely ignoring their shocked expressions.

'What…' Yuu started.

'Are…' Hotaru continued.

'You…' Natsume declared, his voice a bit loud.

'DOING HERE?!?!?!?!' they chorused, screaming their heads off.

'I fell through the hole in the river bed,'

'WHAT?!?!?!?!'

--Mikan Intermission--

Hello everyone, this is Mikan speaking.

I'm here to tell you of how I ended up in this crazy cave.

Well, two months ago, I was called by Jinno-sensei into a car in front of the academy gates. Inside was my grandpa, holding a parcel. I hugged him tightly and we talked as the car started up and kept driving around Tokyo.

He handed me the parcel, when I opened it, there was a camera inside. It was such a pretty camera! It was orange and had butterfly designs on it. Grandpa said he bought it all the way in Osaka just for me, since he wasn't able to send a birthday gift for so long.

Anyways, after our chat, I was dropped off at the academy once more. I was so excited to use my camera already, so I decided to camp in the Northern forest. I left Friday morning and had planned to get back by the next day, for Central Town. (Oh how I love Central Town!)

So I packed tons of food, blankets, pillows, sleeping bag, toothbrush, and everything else into my little backpack.

So I ventured into the forest, avoiding Mr. Bear's house. Then I got lost in the center of the woods. I decided to take the largest path, which was next to a really small path.

The path ended up at the river, I decided to wade a while and take pictures of fishes. I quickly took off my shoes and waded around in the river.

When I came to one part in the river I felt myself sinking. I thrashed and thrashed, hoping to grab something, but it was hopeless. I sank all the way.

I thought I was gonna drown. But instead, I found myself hanging from a branch somewhere under the river, covered in mud. Oh great.

Anyway, I wriggled my way off, ripping my backpack in half. So I decided to lug around all my crazy camping stuff and set up camp somewhere less muddy.

I lived like that for two months…I guess I packed too much food.

I ran out of food now, so I kept screaming, and to conserve my voice, I just groaned, knowing it would still echo. I'm really hungry.

And here I am now, in front of my best friends, they all look dumbfounded.

--End--

'That doesn't make any sense,' Natsume said, scratching his head.

'That's utterly impossible,' Hotaru declared.

'This is crazy,' Yuu commented, wiping away the tears in his eyes.

Mikan just stood there smiling.

--

When they got back to the academy (the entrance of the cave was behind a stalagmite in their campsite, haha, blind people!) Mikan was thrown a welcome back party by all her friends, after a really long shower of course.

And she stuffed herself silly at the party, eating practically everything in the buffet table. Everyone just laughed their heads off, happy and glad that she was back.

But before everything ended, Mikan told everyone the extraordinary sights and sounds in the cave by her three 'saviors'.

--

Hotaru:

-Hugged Yuu

-Was scared

-Actually showed emotion

--

Yuu:

-Was shaking really fast

-Was crying

-Blushed when Hotaru hugged him

-Mikan found out it was him who screamed like a girlie-girl (Chapter three)

--

Natsume:

-Was sweating like a pig (hahahahaha!!)

-Was really, really scared

-Was very un-Natsume like

--

Uh-oh…someone's gonna get a good whacking and burning and horrific illusion punishment.

--

Owari

--

**Isa: How was it? I know I ended it a bit too fast, but school's coming in and I didn't want to keep you all waiting for updates for so long. Thanks to all the wonderful reviewers, you're the best!**


End file.
